Seafood Delights

We woke this morning to find the rainy day that every weather tracking device we own had claimed would happen.  Yep, it's a rainy beach day.  After a slow start to the morning, Zsa Zsa and I left the crew and headed to Savannah to hit some of my fave shops (more on that later). 

It was a miracle that we didn't stop for Paula's fried chicken on the way home, instead we opted to wait for dinner with everyone.  That was a great call.  Our selection ... Hudson's on the Docks on Hilton Head.  It was pretty much as good as everything we had heard AND THEN SOME!

We walked in starving and left more full than I have been in a long time.  Shortly after our arrival (and greeting from darling waiter, Chance), the libations were flowing and the rents were sucking down their share of raw oysters.  Fried green tomato appetizers were my contribution for the starving brood.  Good choices all around! 

 

We poured over our menus like we were deciding the fate of something as serious as National Security only to ensure we ordered the perfect meal.  It was a series of Neptune Platters (that's the mother load of all things seafood), crab cakes, flounder and a lovely chicken tender kiddo meal for the babe.

We ate mounds of hush puppies and a trove of seafood only to almost die when sweet waiter Chance asked if we saved room for dessert .... gasp, no.  I seriously don't know the last time I have been this full!  We couldn't get home fast enough for me to slide out of my Lily P palazo pants and into my "turkey pants" (aka yoga pants).

 

 

A good time, good food and good fun had by all!  Here's looking forward to tomorrow!

 

 

 

Dine Around the ATL

It was another big weekend around these parts.  Upon an (on-time) arrival back in the ATL from a day trip to Houston, I scooted north to meet dear bestie S at a fab spot in Buckhead called STG Trattoria.  It was her pre-birthday celebration and so she picked a fave (that she raves about) as our go to spot. 

The minute I walked into this unassuming spot, I just new I was in love.  The wine list is extensive and affordable.  The decor is rich and oozing of industrial elegance with old world charm.  The food is to.die.for.

The extensive list of small plates had us drooling.  We dined on fresh bruschetta, delish chicken sausage with salted watermelon and a field pea salad.  I sure do love small plate sharing!  The wine selections (both) were fab and completely affordable.  We trusted our server to wine (literally) and dine us.  She did an amazing job!  This wine, by Home Grown vineyards, is a Cali delight.  The wine was a rich but subtle pinot noir and the cork sports a cute little quote.  According to the waitress there are 5-10 different ones.  No, we did not try to collect them all in one night!

Next stop ... Saturday.  After a fun time celebrating the impending arrival of twins for college friend S and her beau K, Dear Hubs and I stopped off at our fave Holeman and Fitch.  This speak easy, prohibition style spot is a go to fave due to their awesome vibe and delish cocktails.  Dear Hubs is entrawled by the extensive collection of whiskey, rye and bourbon.  I swear ... that man never raves about anything food or drink related, but he raves here!  In addition to the cocktails, I could live on their fresh breads and lovely boutique cheeses.  Yum.  We dined on literally half the menu; from homemade hot dogs to pork belly buns ... every bite was perfectly scrumptious!  I even talked our sweet waiter, Pumps (yes, nickname) into letting me buy a loaf for Sunday Supper!

They print (and library stamp) their menu daily.  The cocktail card changes seasonally, so it is secured to cardboard with a laminating pocket cover.  I totally need to remember this for a rustic and fun menu card at parties!

My dashing date ... Dear Hubs

Between these two big nights out, two tennis matches, fun with baby B, a workout or two, home projects and such this weekend flew by.  After Sunday Supper with the fam around 9pm, I think I zoned out and actually fell asleep on the couch (watching a re-run of Golden Girls) out of pure exhaustion!  I think I felt about like our sweet Sheila, who I caught napping on Dear Hub's tennies this weekend.  Seriously ... how tired do you have to be to sleep on his big, ole' shoes!

Cheers to Monday!  Here we go again!

xoxo~b
   

Private Social ... It's a Big D thing!

Last weekend on my quickie trip to the Big D, I ventured from my normal hot spot restaurants for a new place that absolutely did NOT dissappoint!  I love all things Texas.  Not sure why or how, but big hair and glitter are in my DNA and I'm a fan of this southern gem of a city. 

Ya'll may recognize the name Tiffany Derry from season 7 of Bravo's Top Chef.  Miss Tiffany was voted Fan Favorite and after eating her cuisine, I tend to agree.  Now, Tiffany spends her Thursday nights (yes, we caught a sneak peak of this culinary diva) at her new restaurant in Dallas, TX, Private Social.  While I tend to steer towards my favorites like a moth to a flame, when friend J suggested we try this new dish, I couldn't resist. 

From the Top Chef Pork Buns that made her famous on the show of the same name, to the full belly I left with after the Fried Green Tomato with Shrimp Ravigote ... everything was simply lovely.  Tiffany's mix of comfort food with an upscale twist really knows how to pull on my heartstrings.  Not to mention the elixir named "Skinny 2.0" from the bar that matched grapefruit vodka with champagne and mixed it up with homemade strawberry lavender bitters.  I don't care what you call it ... it was wonderful!  

After enough appetizers from the "social" menu to call it a day, Friend J and I decided best if we had two entrees to split :).  What a great decision this was!  We dined on the perfect Pan Seared Scallops with (fresh) lobster cream corn and a flavorful homemade Garganelli Pasta with marscapone cream sauce, hedge hog mushrooms, cherries and pine nuts.  Sadly, we were so stuffed that the thought of a dessert made our pants grow even smaller!

Perfect meal and perfect company ... I'll be back!  Thanks, Tiffany!

The pasta dish perfection

Simply divine scallops

    

Dining on the Town

Last week was Buckhead restaurant week.  For all of ya'll Atlantans, you know this is a great treat!  One week a year, over 30 of Buckhead's finest restaurants set a lovely 3 course meal at a special price for diners near and far.  Even with TWO crazy trips last week; one for me to Puerto Rico and one for Dear Hubs to Chicago, we still managed to partake in two stops on the restaurant week tour!

First stop was Nava.  This place is just timeless.  As part of the Buckhead Life Group restaurants you know you are in for a treat and this meal did not dissappoint.  Starting with the blood orange and jalepeno margaritas right through to the empenada appetizer, field greens with goat cheese and jalepeno vinegrette salad and delish hanger steak entree ... we were just so absolutely stuffed that we couldn't even fathom dessert (can you imagine???)!

Next stop was Capital Grille.  Located on the 8th floor right in the heart of Buckhead, this restaurant is a poised meal with gracious views of the city!  As always, good wine and good steak cannot be beat!  While we might have been the only people there not celebrating a birthday or anniversary ... I love going to places like this on a random day just because :).  Delicious meals and divine company ... what a week of good food!

Star Provisions

It's no secret I love a good restaurant.  I'm southern ... I work with restaurants ... and a fab meal is like a mini vacation in my book!  Now, while most of my fave list is classified as a finer or fancier establishment ... Star Provisions takes one of the top spots and continues to impress! 

Star Provisions is a little gem nestled into the West Midtown / Waterworks area of the good ol' ATL.  It's one of those spots you would probably miss at first glance because it is surrounded by other culinary delights like Bacchanalia, Abattoir and JCT Kitchen; but once you visit ... you are hooked.

Part restaurant, part gourmet culinary creations and part gift shop; I could just spend days at this spot!  Everything on the menu could classify as my favorite.  I just love the shrimp po boy sandwich and it doesn't get any better than the homemade peanut butter and marshmellow creme sand!  They are just to die for!  Another little trick I've picked up is to buy their delish salads to go so I have something to take home and savor later.  My favorites include the black eyed pea salad and the marinated cucumbers.  Oh ... and if this all doesn't sound tasty enough, you can't leave without tryin the homemade smores!  They are absolutely FAB!  Yes, it's true ... I have a fave dish in every category! 

While Star isn't exactly in my backyard, I do try and stop down every few weeks for my fix.  Bestie M and I spent lunch there with our littles just two weeks ago and to our surprise the littles were perfect little angels!  M's sweet Jay Bird busied himself admiring the lovely items in the gift shop (a trait his momma clearly passed onto him through many tireless shopping trips!) and Baby B actually slept right through our visit.  The best part, it is within walking distance of a few adorable shops - so since they were so well behaved, we decided to press our luck and add a little shopping onto our day.  So far so good ... we will be back!

~charmed, b    

Reason to Celebrate

I love celebrating milestones, big and small, with friends and family.  I know Dear Hubs is convinced that sometimes I even invent little milestones or cause for celebration just to have a festive fete to plan!  But, that wasn't the case this past weekend - there was an exciting reason to celebrate, indeed.  Dear A is engaged and her friends couldn't be more thrilled!  A is just such a wonderful gal and we all are so excited that she has finally met the man of her dreams in her mister M.

To wish our bride all the best, a group of dear college friends gathered at one of my favorite, girly Atlanta  lunch spots; the Swan Coach House.  You have heard me rave about this spot before and this time it was the perfect location for a fab celebration for our fave bride to be!  Friends travelled from far and away to be part of the special time; and dear C wins the award for making it all the way from NYC that very morning to celebrate (and she still looked adorably polished in the cutest dress after an early morning flight!).  It's always such a fun time catching up with these girls on the latest gossip, what the littles are up to and all the other exciting stories. 

Bestie M and I gussied up the already girly table with favors, flowers and adorable printed decor.  M is an amazing whiz with paper design, and collectively we have such fun whenever we can combine our passions to create a "party in the box" on the go! 

We dined on a lovely SCH lunch and celebrated with the signature swans for dessert!  Of course, I just couldn't pass up the frozen fruit salad that is just my fave!  I found the recipe online and cannot wait to try it at home, it certainly won't come with the side of southern flair that the SCH delivers, but will certainly do in a pinch!

All in all, I sure do love my time with these girls and we all wish dear A nothing but the best and brightest future for her walk down the aisle!  XOXO, A!

Beautiful Waterford frame from L and A - perfect for the bride!

Posing with M and C (I love that I actually look real short here!)

Monogrammed candle from me and M

A & A are all smiles!

Super cute cherry apron & cook book from C

Ladies Lunch

It's an Atlanta tradition most definitely, and a right of passage of sorts for fine young women from this great city to call themselves southern belles; but a ladies lunch at the Swan Coach House is a must do.  This past weekend, three generations of ladies in my family gathered for lunch at this lovely establishment.  The restaurant's charm and feminine elegance is unmatched and we all agreed we could have sat for hours and enjoyed the spot.

Nana, Zsa Zsa, me, dear Jean and LaLa

We sipped tea and Georgia Peach cocktails and gabbed about funny memories we all shared.  Most noteable of the stories, Zsa Zsa informed us that her Zeta Tau Alpha preferencial during rush was at this very location, how's that for some history?  This caused La La and I to attempt to recount where ours were held and realized very quickly that while lovely, it was possibly not as memorable as being able to say it was at the Swan Coach House.  We dined on the best the menu had to offer and finished off the meal with wonderfully delicate chocolate swan desserts that are as fab tasting as they are for presentation! 

My DELISH lunch - sandwich sampler and seafood bisque

Out of this world frozen fruit salad

I hope to soon convince my dear besties A, A and M that we should establish a routine of meeting here every few months our own time to catch up and have a ladies lunch.  This spot is totally up my and M's alley and I'm sure we can convince the other two to play along :)!  And yes A, A and M ... if you are reading this I will probably tell you hats are required for the first installment :)!

Meat and Potatoes

Having grown up in Roswell, GA; I love the opportunity to go back to the historic downtown streets for shopping and a great meal.  It's my comfort food of sorts!  There are just so many places to choose from, but some get frequented more than others. 

I'm excited to report that one of my faves will be featured on the Food Network tonight.  Isn't it always exciting when a place you frequent makes the "cut" and appears on tv.  I always find myself  excitedly watching the tv and saying "hey, I go there ..." when it airs.  Tonight at 10pm EST, the Salt Factory Pub will be featured on a new show called Meat and Potatoes.  The restaurant's charm and cuisine made it a natural for some air time, and tonight's episode, "Comfort Meats" will include Salt's Shepherd's Pie.

Salt features modern pub comfort food cuisine and the old brick walled building has such style you will want to have an extra glass of wine just to relish the spot a bit longer!  Some of my faves include the curried almonds and the butcher block selection for the table to share, the smoked salmon tostadas and the crispy North Carolina brook trout entree.  Oh, and don't forget the soon to be famous Shepherd's Pie!

 

Brunching Around Town

Oh weekend, sweet weekend!  A wonderful time to sleep just a few minutes later, linger on your coffee a few moments longer and savor the glory of the day just a bit more!  If you asked me what my favorite meal would be, I'd strongly proclaim BRUNCH!  I think my Bestie C won me to the brunch team years ago with a lovely spot in Newport Beach that offered a champagne brunch.  Yep, you say champagne and I say I'm there! 

While I can point out my favorite spots in southern California, Dallas, and other towns across this great country for this divine weekend ritual, I still struggle with my Atlanta favorites.  That was until now ... I have reloaded my list with a few new spots to try in the coming weeks, but for now 88 Paces Bistro at the St. Regis hotel in Buckhead holds the top spot! 

The St. Regis itself is a decorating masterpiece full of beautiful, calm traditional modern elegance that just can't be beat.  The restaurant one ups the decor with mouth watering food and delish champagne and bloody marys!  Bestie A and I had the great fortune to spend a leisure brunch catching up and dining at this wonderful spot just last week.  We dined on delish egg white omlettes and took in the scene! 

So start your weekend with a little R&R - the brunch way!

~charmed b

Southern Supper

Food in Charleston just can’t be beat citywide, I love the city and the restaurants to boot.  As a strong advocate, and fan of the farm to table concept, I appreciate the fresh, local cuisine of many of the new high end restaurants around the south.

Paying homage to my southern roots, and as a direct request from Zsa Zsa, today’s post is a recommendation to try the fantastic Charleston eatery called Husk. Husk is located right smack in the historic district of Charleston on Elizabeth Street. I had the great fortune of eating at this fine establishment on my last visit to C-town, and have sent Zsa Zsa and the fam there for dinner tonight! Validating my rave review, Southern Living and other publications have felt inspired to give this spot accolade as well.

Husk is the latest offering from the Neighborhood Dining Group and famed Chef Sean Brock, using their talents to give culinary interpretation to the Lowcountry. The restaurant building is reminiscint of the old south, dating back to the late 19th century, and has been dolled up with beautiful sleek décor. The menu is rustic and hearty and changes based on availability of local ingredients, but always combine a modern sensibility and wonderful southern cuisine.  Husk has also teamed up with some wonderful local suppliers like Thackery Farms and The Charleston Tea Plantation to provide the very best in local ingredients.

Dining Room picture (from Husk's website)

Every lovely menu item that has touched the lips of my dining party was received with rave reviews. My best and uncomplicated description is that the menu is full of “fancy comfort food”. The devilled eggs are tried and true, the shrimp and grits are creamy and do justice to the fame of this dish and the tenderloin with red potatoes and oyster mushrooms is full of great flavor. The big surprise… the burger! When this dish surfaced from the kitchen, our entire table said “wow”. And yes, it’s as good as it looks!

So, next time you are in Charleston, stop over for a Sunday Brunch Bloody Mary or a Southern Supper when you can. Chef Brock proclaims “If it doesn’t come from the South, it’s not coming through the door.” And to that … I say, Amen!